David Beckham Will Stay With Los Angeles Galaxy, Sun Says: Soccer Roundup

By Christopher Elser - Oct 7, 2011 4:38 PM GMT+0700

The following is a roundup of soccer stories from U.K. newspapers, with clickable links to the Web.

L.A. Extension

David Beckham will probably reject an 18-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain worth 4 million pounds ($6.2 million) after deciding to stay in Los Angeles, the Sun said.

The Los Angeles Galaxy offered the former England captain a one-year extension to his contract, which ends in December, the newspaper said. Beckham, who wants to make sure his children have a stable upbringing, will make a decision after the Major League Soccer playoffs, the Sun said.

Beckham has also attracted interest from Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, and teams in Brazil and the Middle East, the newspaper said.

Carragher Plans

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said he may retire in the next two years, the Daily Mail said.

The 33-year-old vice-captain has played for Liverpool for 14 years, the newspaper said. He said his future will be decided by team coach Kenny Dalglish, the newspaper said.

Arteta’s Transfer

Mikel Arteta said there wasn’t time for a medical exam before moving to Arsenal from Everton on transfer deadline day and he agreed to assume liability if he had a health issue, the Daily Mirror said.

Arsenal paid 10 million pounds for the Spaniard who needed 12 months to recover from a knee ligament injury suffered in February 2009, the Mirror said.

Anelka for Russia?

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka is being pursued by Russian team Terek Grozny, the Daily Mail said.

The 32-year-old’s contract ends at the end of the season and he’s been linked to moves to Turkey and Major League Soccer, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.

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First lady, TV show bring attention to veterans

First lady Michelle Obama laughs as she boards Air Force One in Washington to accompany President Barack Obama to New York September 19, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

LOS ANGELES — Michelle Obama found an unusual ally — reality TV — in her effort to bring attention to the needs of military families.

The first lady, appearing Sunday on the two-part season premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," says the program was the right platform for the cause.

"We live in a media age, and one of the things we still share is our love of television" and the stories it can tell so effectively, Obama said. "We thought this was an extraordinary venue to highlight the struggles and challenges and triumphs of a special family."

Barbara Marshall of Fayetteville, North Carolina, who served in the Navy for 15 years, was dismayed by the number of homeless female veterans and established Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House to provide shelter, counseling and other aid. When the house grew cramped and inadequate, "Extreme Makeover" and the first lady stepped in.

She joined with series host Ty Pennington, a local builder and community volunteers on the Jubilee House project and was on hand at the unveiling to surprise Marshall.

The episode focuses on a "powerful story, powerful woman, powerful group of women who are coming together and helping one another. So we're pretty excited about this as a vehicle for telling their story," Obama said.

Marshall is evidence that many military families who face their own challenges "still find ways to serve others," Obama said.

The show should also carry the message that strong, independent veterans might not ask for help and seek assistance, she said. Obama said she hadn't seen the program in its finished version.

"So it's incumbent upon us to not make them ask for help. And, hopefully, by watching this show, viewers will get some ideas in their heads of how they can come together, whether it's as individuals, or as church groups, or as school groups, or as teachers or as employers" and find ways to help military families, she said.

The first lady is also seen on more familiar ground in the show, giving Pennington a tour of the White House grounds.

She and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, help lead Joining Forces, an initiative intended to increase public awareness and support of families of the men and women serving in the military.

taken from : China Daily
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Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2010

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2010

hobbiesandentertainment.blogspot.com is now closed for the Christmas and New Year period, and we'll be back on January 4.

We'd like to extend our thanks for your support this past year, and wish you all the best for Christmas and New Year.
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Right out of the box

Customers walk from box to box at Fengguo Space, finding unique and creative gifts, arts and crafts. Fengguo Space gives independent Chinese artists a chance to showcase their products. Photos by Jonah M. Kessel

When government officer Wang Luoyuan, 39, wants to furnish his house, he goes to IKEA. When he buys a pair of earrings for his wife, Tiffany comes to his mind. If his kid needs a schoolbag, he goes to adidas.

However, 27-year-old bank clerk Luo Ruixue is different. She prefers Fengguo Space, which sells products designed by independent designers from China, to international labels.

Luo shows off her skirt bought at Fengguo Space, a 100 percent cotton, black and polka-dot creation, with Chinese characters.

"If I buy a Marc Jacobs skirt, it will cost me 1,000 yuan ($146), and someone else might have the same dress. But I got this one, designed by a college student, for just 145 yuan," Luo says, adding brands are out, independent designs are in.

Fengguo Space, a branch of Fengguo Box, in Zhongguancun, Beijing's Silicon Valley, is smartly decorated. Each shelf is divided into a lattice and designers who want to sell their trinkets rent boxes to showcase their wares. It costs from 30 to 400 yuan per month to rent a box, depending on the size.

At Fengguo Space, there are many classic toys such as cars and robots that have big price tags. Another range of products called Bricks features key rings made of Lego bricks. Other trinkets such as bags, cigarette boxes and stuffed animals are also on display.

Goods from local designers such as "Princess" Zhao Xi and Gao Yuan are on offer, as well as those by designers from European countries.

Xu Jianmeng, marketing manager of Box Community, says they are going to introduce independent foreign furniture names to Chinese consumers, including Microworks, Athmos, and Suck UK.

"Young Chinese people hate to be the same as each other, be it food, clothing or way of life. They don't want to have an identical IKEA style. That is why indie designs are so popular today," says Xu.

Zhao Xi, a part-time indie designer, works at an advertising company, which is the usual humdrum office job, but realizes her dream by creating items for indie stores, something she started at university.

"Before 2007, we went to some i-Mart stores to sell the things we made. Now indie designs are getting more attention. We have box shops, we have regular i-Marts, and some of the designers are beginning to make money," says Zhao, wearing a colorful necklace she made for herself.

Fengguo Box held the first i-Mart in Beijing in 2007. Though there were only 26 stands, it made more than 500,000 yuan ($73,000) in two days.

Now there are i-Marts every two months. Five months after Fengguo Box opened its first store in 2007, it had a turnover of 1.7 million yuan.

The government also wants to promote local design. Beijing Original Design Promotion Association (BODA), founded late last year, is an organization under Beijing Sci-Tech Association.

BODA recently held the Original Circle exhibition at Sanlitun on Aug 18, showcasing some 30 designers' works.

Ma Jia, president of BODA, says Chinese indie designers need more platforms to gain recognition. He says indie designers, the media, government, consumers and shops should work together to promote it.

Many indie designers who attended the exhibition have become well-known at home and abroad, including Hong Kong designer Alan Yip and design corporation Zhuozhan. Some of Beijing-based company Lococo's works won the Red Dot Award, considered the Oscars of the design industry.

taken from : China Daily
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Happy Easter

Myspace Easter

Keep Jesus Alive in your heart, happy easter!

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Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2009

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2009

hobbiesandentertainment.blogspot.com is now closed for the Christmas and New Year period, and we'll be back on January 5.

We'd like to extend our thanks for your support this past year, and wish you all the best for Christmas and New Year.





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Monroe photo, Newton photo set records in New York

Sold! Marilyn's iconic images Iconic images of actress Marilyn Monroe fetchd hundreds of thousands of dollars at a New York auction. [Agencies]

NEW YORK – A photograph of Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern and a photograph by Helmut Newton of four women naked and then dressed sold for record prices on Wednesday, Christie's auction house said.

The Newton photo "Sie Kommen, (Naked and Dressed), Paris, 1981" sold for $662,500, smashing the previous 2007 record for the photographer of $380,725, while the Stern image "The Last Sitting," one of the last pictures of Monroe before her death, sold for $146,500, shattering the $63,000 mark set in 1994.

Both photos were part of the Constantiner Collection, which included the largest-ever grouping of Monroe photos to come to market, more than 100 in all. The entire Constantiner Collection fetched $7.7 million, the highest total for a single owner dedicated photographs sale, Christie's said.

"The superb results achieved for this collection demonstrate the potential of works bought with true passion and considerable connoisseurship to perform magnificently even in the present uncertain economic climate," said Philippe Garner, Christie's international head of photographs, in a statement.

"The results also confirm the central position that Helmut Newton has rightly been accorded as a master photographer of the 20th century, and, of course, Marilyn Monroe's magical appeal has proven to be truly timeless," he said.

Leon and Michaela Constantiner began buying photos of glamour and style icons in the early 1990s. Their collection also includes works William Klein, Herb Ritts, Irving Penn, and scores of prints by Newton, including several life-size nudes estimated at up to $600,000.

Many of the images are already well-known. They appeared in mass market media and helped define the post-war period, Garner said. That contrasts with much contemporary photography, which is made for galleries and museums, rather than destined for magazines.

Since the turn of the millennium, digital photography has taken over from a chemical-based process, so prints available in the art market now are a part of history.

Taken From : China Daily


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`Twilight' sequel speeds ahead for November 2009

In this image released by Summit Entertainment, Kristen Stewart, left, and Robert Pattinson are shown in a scene from, 'Twilight.' [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES – "Twilight" fans have a short wait for the next installment of the vampire saga.

Summit Entertainment spokesman Paul Pflug says "New Moon" is following just 12 months after the first movie, opening Nov. 20, 2009, over the same weekend as "Twilight" this year.

Summit has tapped Chris Weitz ("The Golden Compass") to direct "New Moon," based on the second book in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series about the dangerous romance between a teen (Kristen Stewart) and a vampire (Robert Pattinson) fighting his bloodsucking instincts.

Weitz is taking over the franchise from "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke. "Twilight" has shot to $150 million at the box office since debuting Nov. 21.

Taken From : China Daily


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`WALL-E' wins L.A. critics best-picture honor

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has gone populist on its picks for best movies of 2008, choosing the animated smash "WALL-E" as No. 1 and the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" as runner-up on Tuesday.

Sean Penn was named best actor for the film biography "Milk," while Sally Hawkins received the best-actress prize for the British comic drama "Happy-Go-Lucky."

The late Heath Ledger won the critics group's supporting-actor honor for his turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," while Penelope Cruz was chosen for supporting actress in the Woody Allen romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," as well as her role in the drama "Elegy."

Danny Boyle took directing honors for "Slumdog Millionaire," with Christopher Nolan the runner-up for "The Dark Knight." "Happy-Go-Lucky" director Mike Leigh won for best screenplay.

The critics' picks are one of the early film honors in Hollywood's long awards season, which continues Thursday with nominations for the Golden Globes, the second-biggest ceremony after the Academy Awards.

Globe nominations and critics prizes can boost Oscar prospects, particularly for lesser-known films such as "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Slumdog Millionaire." Oscar nominations come out Jan. 22, with the awards ceremony scheduled for Feb. 22.

"WALL-E" and "The Dark Knight" were unusually commercial choices for the critics, whose past best-picture winners have tended toward smaller films such as 2007's "There Will Be Blood" and other recipients that include "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Sideways."

Among runners-up for the critics awards were Mickey Rourke, best actor for "The Wrestler"; Melissa Leo, best actress for "Frozen River"; Eddie Marsan, supporting actor for "Happy-Go-Lucky"; Viola Davis, supporting actress for "Doubt"; and Charlie Kaufman, screenplay for "Synecdoche, New York."

With "WALL-E" as their best-picture winner, the critics chose the war documentary "Waltz With Bashir" as their top animated film.

Other winners include:

• Foreign-language film: "Still Life."

• Documentary: "Man on Wire."

• Production design: "Synecdoche, New York."

• Music-score: "Slumdog Millionaire."

• Cinematography: "Still Life."

The Los Angeles critics will present their awards at a ceremony on Jan. 12.

Taken From : China Daily

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`Doubt' only preaches moral ambiguity

In this image released by Miramax Film Corp., Philip Seymour Hoffman portrays Father Flynn, left, and Amy Adams portrays Sister James in a scene from 'Doubt.' [Agencies]

For a film about moral ambiguity, "Doubt" does an awful lot of hand-holding.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, a charismatic, mavericky Catholic priest, is obviously a good guy, even though he's suspected of sexually abusing a male student. He drinks and smokes and plays basketball. He cares about the students' feelings at St. Nicholas — a rare feat, it seems, in the Bronx in 1964.

Meryl Streep, as the St. Nicholas principal, is obviously the villain for her unflappable certitude and fearsome authoritarianism. She doesn't even allow her teachers to keep cough drops in their desks: "Candy by another name," she calls it. She harps on penmanship in that unforgiving New York accent and flinches at the sight of a barrette in a female student's hair.

None of the above is ever in question as writer-director John Patrick Shanley brings his Pulitzer Prize-winning play to the screen.

Shanley, whose only previous directing effort was 1990's "Joe Versus the Volcano," lacks the ability as a filmmaker to wring much nuance out of his own material in cinematic form. He relies too heavily on off-kilter camera angles and obvious symbolism to suggest turmoil — a torrential storm that churns leaves and snaps tree branches, for example — rather than allowing the story's innate tension to play out for itself.

As if we didn't get it, Streep's Sister Aloyisius Beauvier must then comment on the wild weather: "I've never known a wind like it," she remarks. "The wind has changed." One can safely assume she's not really talking about the wind.

She's talking about Hoffman's Father Flynn, who is kind and popular and therefore a threat to her total domination. When the young, naive Sister James (Amy Adams) thinks she sees something suspicious involving Father Flynn and Donald Miller (Joseph Foster II), the school's first black student, she reports it to Sister Aloyisius, who's only too pleased to seize on this juicy tidbit of information and quickly pass judgment.

She has absolutely no doubt. And in case we were unsure of what "Doubt" is about, Shanley opens with Father Flynn delivering a sermon on the subject. Nothing subtle about that, and it only grows more heavy-handed from there until it builds to its crescendo: A screechy, repetitive screaming match in which Sister Aloyisius finally confronts Father Flynn, with decibels intended to reach the balcony. ("Doubt" is beautiful to look at, though, with its clean, clear outdoor light and warm interiors, the work of the always-great cinematographer Roger Deakins.)

While Hoffman keeps you guessing as to the extent of his character's creepiness, Streep is really acting here. You can see the sausage being made, but at least it's an amusing process. She's just withering as Sister Aloyisius, knocking down her students and fellow nuns alike with everything from a roll of the eyes to a smack on the back of the head.

Adams has some lovely small moments as Sister James, who's torn between her inherent inclination to believe the good in Father Flynn and her allegiance to the skeptical Sister Aloyisius. But Viola Davis has one great scene as the mother of the boy in question — one that provides much-needed context and unexpected perspective.

"Doubt," a Miramax Films release, is rated PG-13 for thematic material. Running time: 104 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.
Taken From : China Daily


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"Che" movie wins praise in Cuba

People stand next an image of late rebel leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Cardenas, December 6, 2008.
REUTERS/Claudia Daut

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cubans have applauded an American director's new movie on Ernesto "Che" Guevara for its accurate portrayal of his role in Cuba's revolution.

They packed into two cinemas over the weekend to see "Che," a four-hour epic directed by Steven Soderbergh, during Havana's annual Latin American film festival.

Benicio Del Toro, who plays the Argentine-born revolutionary, was joined at the screening by Leonardo Tamayo. He fought with Guevara in Bolivia, where Che was captured and executed in 1967 for trying to lead an insurgency.

The film covers two parts of Guevara's life -- his role in the 1959 revolution in Cuba with Fidel Castro, and his struggle and death in Bolivia.

"It's great. It really reflects the life of Che and his fight in Bolivia and how he was assassinated," said Eugenio Martinez, a retiree at one screening. "It's satisfying to see that his fight was not in vain."

Havana festival organizers had said in July that "Che" would not be shown if it attacked Fidel Castro, the ailing 82-year-old who led Cuba for 49 years after taking power in the 1959 revolution.

Cuba said the film was shot in Spain and Bolivia because the U.S. government, which has a four-decade trade embargo against communist-run Cuba, barred Soderbergh from making the movie on the island.

The film appeared in Cuba as President-elect Barack Obama is raising expectations he will ease restrictions on the island, a move the Cuban government says would be a positive first step to ending the dispute over the Florida Straits.

Granma, the newspaper of Cuba's ruling Communist Party, praised Del Toro but said Fidel Castro's character lacked charisma and depth.

Soderbergh, who won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for best film in 1989 with "Sex, Lies and Videotape," said he was fascinated by Guevara, who has become a symbol of rebellion the world over.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey; Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Korean War sets scene for love and sacrifice

By Cheng Anqi (China Daily)

The Great Northern Wilderness is a love triangle involving a young woman (Liang Linlin, pictured left), a soldier (Wang Yu, pictured) and a war veteran (Zhu Yawen).

The Korean War became the backdrop for the most-watched American TV show in history. When the final episode of M.A.S.H aired in 1983, after a record-breaking 11 seasons, it attracted more than 105 million US viewers, and millions more around the world. The comedy/drama helped shape Western views of the Korean War, but the Chinese perception of this three-year conflict is very different.

Next year, the Korean War will be the backdrop of a new Chinese TV series, which focuses on the lives and loves of young people in the northern part of the country in the 1950s.

Compared with other periods in China's modern history, there have been very few dramas focusing on this era. For this reason, renowned television director Zhang Jianxin believes his new series will be a winner in 2009.

Zhang also believes his 20-part The Great Northern Wilderness (Bei Da Huang) series will appeal to the most lucrative television demographic - people aged in the 30s and 40s - and will be a commercial success.

He also says the story of young men and women battling against the elements will encourage today's generation during the economic crisis.

"China's large population and the breakout of Korean War caused food shortage in 1950s," says Zhang.

"This led to about 100,000 retired service people and hundreds of thousands of young people answering the call by the Chinese government to resettle in the wild lands of northern China.

"It is the selfless spirit and dedication of the farm workers that are the most admirable of all, as they have devoted their lives and risked untold hardship to build an agricultural miracle."

The new series is a love triangle, in which a battle veteran (Zhu Yawen) falls in love with a girl (Liang Linlin), who strongly resembles his dead fiance, a victim of the civil war.

The young lady, however, falls for another soldier, who escorts her to the wasteland from city capital.

Zhang hopes the new series will be as successful as his last year's smash-hit TV drama Breaking Through (Chuang Guandong), which was also about army life.

Instead of setting the scene on the battlefront, like his last series, The Great Northern Wilderness is shot in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, a vast expanse of land, which was sparely inhabited in the 1950s, when the Korean War had just begun.

More than half a million young men and women, including demobilized army officers and solders and high school graduates marched into this great wilderness, on the border of Korea.

They cultivated farmland and followed their own aspirations to serve emerging New China and solve food shortages at the time.

While researching the show, Zhang says there was little documentation to draw from, but he hoped his new series would help today's generation be more grateful for the efforts of their grandfathers and grandmothers.

"While later generations now enjoy the prosperity that their predecessors created decades ago, few of them know the stories of these post-war men and women, who made an unforgettable contribution to China's history and toward helping their fellow citizens," he says.

"There was very little material like documentaries and literature covering their daily lives in such tough times, so the series will help to fill a vacancy in that history."

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"Kung Fu Panda" earns 16 Annie Awards nominations

(China Daily) DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" fought off stiff competition to earn 16 nominations -- the most for a feature -- for the International Animated Film Society's 36th Annual Annie Awards.

That includes a nomination for best animated feature, a category in which it is competing with Pixar Animation Studios' "WALL-E" -- considered the front-runner for the Oscar -- which earned seven nominations. "Panda" and "WALL-E" also earned one additional nomination each in the best video-game competition.

The top category is rounded out by nominations for Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Bolt," a 3-D release that earned five nominations; Sony Pictures Classics' "Waltz With Bashir," Israel's award-winning documentary, which took four nominations; and Sherman Pictures/Lama Films' "$9.99," a stop-motion title that earned two nominations.

Blue Sky Studios' "Dr. Suess' Horton Hear a Who," a Fox release, also had a strong showing with five nominations.

All of these features are short-listed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for this season's animated feature Oscar competition.

DreamWorks Animation earned a total of 27 nominations. Those for "Panda" included direction, animated effects, character design, music and writing. The film's total of 16 nominations encompasses double and triple mentions in the fields of character animation, production design, storyboarding and voice acting.

Nickelodeon leads the pack in the television categories with 12 nominations, including two for best animated television production produced for children: "Avatar:The Last Airbender" and "The Mighty B!"

Nominees for best animated television production are "Phineas and Ferb" (Disney Television Animation), "The Simpsons" (Gracie Films/Fox TV), "King of the Hill" (20th Century Fox TV) and "Moral Orel" and "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II," both from ShadowMachine.

During the awards ceremony, Mike Judge, John Lasseter and Nick Park will receive Winsor McCay honors for career contributions to the art of animation; Bill Turner will be recognized with the June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; and Amir Avini, Mike Fontanelli, Kathy Turner and Alex Vassilev will receive certificates of merit.

The Annie Awards will be presented January 30 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles.



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"Rome" might not be history, series creator says

The creator of CBS' red-hot police procedural "The Mentalist" has unfinished business in Italy.

Bruno Heller says he wants to produce a theatrical wrap-up to his critically beloved and prematurely canceled HBO drama "Rome."

"There is talk of doing a movie version," he said. "It's moving along. It's not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off."

The lavish period drama ran for two seasons on HBO, which co-produced the series with the BBC. With the final season of "The Sopranos" as its lead-in, the first season was solidly rated, but high production costs presented the network with a tough call on the pickup. HBO opted for a second season to help get more value from its initial investment but not a third, effectively canceling the show in summer 2006 before the second season debuted the following January. The "Rome" sets were destroyed, and the actors were released from their contracts, making the decision all but irreversible.

Season 2 of "Rome" was a surprise. Although slightly lower-rated than the first, the show did remarkably well without a "Sopranos" lead-in. The first season received four Emmy Awards, and another seven Emmys were heaped upon the final season.

Suddenly "Rome" was a Greek tragedy: a hit show with no future. The broadcast networks quickly snatched up the show's leads for their top fall pilots.

HBO executives have since admitted that axing the show probably was a mistake.

One seeming drawback to revisiting the show after its wrap is the demise of a key lead character, Lucius (Kevin McKidd). Yet Heller reveals that the character's off-camera fate was far from fatal.

"It was very deliberate that we saw him drifting away but didn't see him atop a funeral pyre," Heller said.

McKidd has a recurring role on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Fellow "Rome" star Ray Stevenson is in "The Punisher," and Polly Walker is cast in Sci Fi's "Caprica."

A feature revival of a defunct series always is considered difficult, though HBO succeeded with "Sex and the City," and Fox's "Arrested Development" is making progress toward the big screen. Heller would not discuss plot ideas, but the original series outline for "Rome" next called for the hedonistic Roman leaders to deal with the rise of a certain problematic rabbi -- a story line that would have put a whole new spin on the Greatest Story Ever Told and potentially bring "Rome" a larger audience.

"I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end," Heller said. "The second was going to end with the death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around."
Taken From : China Daily

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"WALL-E" and "Thunder" top DVD charts

Wall-E in a scene from Disney's presentation of Pixar's 'Wall-E'. The film was the top seller and No. 2 renter on the home entertainment charts, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and scoring a strong second-place finish on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ended November 23.[Agencies]

A small, waste-collecting robot has captured the hearts of DVD consumers, much as it did in theaters earlier this year.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "WALL-E" was the top seller and No. 2 renter on the home entertainment charts, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and scoring a strong second-place finish on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ended November 23.

"WALL-E" also was the week's No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller.

Fellow new release "Tropic Thunder," from Paramount, debuted at No. 2 on the overall home video sales chart and the Blu-ray sales chart.

But in rental stores the comedy, which earned $110.5 million at the domestic box office, saw the most action during the week, bowing at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's rental chart. "WALL-E" finished not far behind, with 83.2 percent as much rental activity, a strong showing for an animated family title geared toward the sell-through market.

A third theatrical film making its DVD debut, Warner Home Video's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," bowed at No. 5 on the sales chart and No. 6 on the rental chart.

The previous week's top seller, Paramount/DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda," slipped to No. 3 on the overall home video sales chart, and the previous week's top renter, Universal Studios' "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," fell to No. 4 with a 37 percent drop in rental demand.
Taken From : http://www.chinadaily.com.cn



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"WALL-E" and "Thunder" top DVD charts

An animatronic robot of character Wall-E is pictured at the world premiere of Disney-Pixar's film "Wall-E" in Los Angeles, California June 21, 2008.
REUTERS/Fred Prouser

By Thomas K. Arnold

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A small, waste-collecting robot has captured the hearts of DVD consumers, much as it did in theaters earlier this year.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "WALL-E" was the top seller and No. 2 renter on the home entertainment charts, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and scoring a strong second-place finish on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ended November 23.

"WALL-E" also was the week's No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller.

Fellow new release "Tropic Thunder," from Paramount, debuted at No. 2 on the overall home video sales chart and the Blu-ray sales chart.

But in rental stores the comedy, which earned $110.5 million at the domestic box office, saw the most action during the week, bowing at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's rental chart. "WALL-E" finished not far behind, with 83.2 percent as much rental activity, a strong showing for an animated family title geared toward the sell-through market.

A third theatrical film making its DVD debut, Warner Home Video's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," bowed at No. 5 on the sales chart and No. 6 on the rental chart.

The previous week's top seller, Paramount/DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda," slipped to No. 3 on the overall home video sales chart, and the previous week's top renter, Universal Studios' "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," fell to No. 4 with a 37 percent drop in rental demand.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter



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Mickey mouse celebrates 80th birthday

Mickey Mouse celebrates his 80th birthday at the Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, November 18, 2008. [Photo: Xinhuanet]

(XINHUA) The world's most famous rodent, Mickey Mouse, celebrated his 80th birthday on Tuesday. The iconic mouse's look has evolved through the years, but Mickey is still the enduring symbol of the Disney brand.

Mickey first appeared on the silver screen in 1928's "Steamboat Willie", where his profile and personality were a lot more rat-like than the lovable mouse of today.

In the following years, Mickey stayed busy, starring in feature films and on television, enjoying a cult following through the Mickey Mouse Club and overseeing the development of the Disney brand. He also had a long-running romance with Minnie.

Walt Disney created Mickey during a difficult time, when he was the head of a small, struggling studio.

The enduring success of the little mouse changed all that and made Walt Disney a household name.



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"Twilight" fans have sky-high hopes for movie

Cast members Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart pose at the premiere of the movie "Twilight" at the Mann Village and Bruin theatres in Westwood, California November 17, 2008.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The makers of teen vampire movie "Twilight" have seen fan excitement reach bloodcurdling levels ahead of the U.S. debut on Friday, but as expectations rise, some industry watchers are wondering if all the hype could be too much of a good thing.

After all, Hollywood is littered with movies that had huge expectations and media coverage ahead of their debuts, then flopped at box offices. Last summer's "Speed Racer," a $120 million-plus production that generated only $44 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, is just one example.

But executives at Summit Entertainment, the studio behind "Twilight," believe their vampire-meets-human romance has several factors in its favor. Most important, the film is based on best-selling books that are thought to be the next "Harry Potter" series, and it was made at a relatively low cost with two young actors who have won the hearts of "Twilight" fans.

"The movie has already been directed in the mind's eye of the reader," said Eric Feig, president of production for Summit. "That's always a challenge, to try to live up to those expectations," he said.

Fans of the books are extremely loyal. They camped out overnight this week to see the film's stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart at the movie's L.A. premiere, and last week, police shut down an event with Pattinson at a San Francisco mall when the unexpectedly large crowd got unruly.

Why the fervor? In her four-book series that has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, author Stephenie Meyer created a new world of vampire lore for young readers.

Set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, "Twilight" follows the romance between a girl named Isabella "Bella" Swan who is a social outsider and an immortal vampire named Edward Cullen.

Their star-crossed love affair is complicated by the fact that other vampires are out to suck Swan's blood.

WHOLESOME VAMPIRE

"If there's such a thing as a wholesome vampire movie, this is it," said Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, an independent movie-rating nonprofit organization.

With its story of young love aimed mostly at teenagers and younger audiences, "Twilight" stands apart from many past vampire movies, including 1994's "Interview with the Vampire" and 1992's "Dracula" that had older audiences in mind.

The books are largely free of sex and gore, and told from Bella's point of view, which was a challenge for filmmakers.

"To try to put the audience in Bella's shoes at every single moment without having wall-to-wall voiceover is something that was very difficult to capture," Feig said.

Another challenge was picking the right actress to portray Bella, and initially the choice of Kristen Stewart, 18, was met with some skepticism from people who had a hard time envisioning anyone as the books' heroine.

Ken Kaplan, a partner at talent company The Gersh Agency who represents Stewart and other young actors, said loyal fans came to Stewart's side with the support of author Meyer.

"One thing that was critical, was Stephenie Meyer addressed it on her Web site, and the fans worship her," he said.

The film cost $36 million to make -- a low sum by Hollywood standards -- and experts say that with a debut in more than 3,000 theaters, the box office for "Twilight" could easily approach that figure its opening weekend.

"There's enough excitement surrounding the release of this movie that a $30 million-plus opening weekend would not be outside the realm of possibility," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Media By Numbers.

One factor weighing against the film is that box office watchers expect new James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace," which debuted last week to $67.5 million, to continue playing strong in theaters.

Still, online ticket seller Fandango.com said "Twilight" has sold out nearly 600 of its midnight showings on Thursday, and is among their top 10 best advance sellers of all time.

Elizabeth Marotte, a buyer for book store chain Borders, compared the popularity of the "Twilight" books to "Harry Potter," whose five movies have raked in more than $1.4 billion in the United States and Canada.

"Harry Potter was a cultural phenomenon, and this is no different from that," Marotte said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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The Who look back to '77 on live DVD

Roger Daltrey of The Who arrives at the taping of the third annual VH1 Rock Honors: The Who concert in Los Angeles July 12, 2008.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

By Gary Graff

DETROIT (Billboard) - A 1977 concert filmed for the Who documentary "The Kids Are Alright" has long been considered a holy grail by rock fans. But frontman Roger Daltrey remembers it as taking place on "kind of a weird day."

"We did the show in the afternoon, which is not the best time of day to be on form, especially for (drummer) Keith Moon," Daltrey told Billboard.com.

The concert footage, from the Gaumont State Theater show in the London suburb of Kilburn, was released in its entirety this week on the DVD "The Who at Kilburn 1977."

Though Who biographer Johnny Black has called the concert "disastrous," Daltrey said he "always thought it was quite a good show, but I remember that Pete (Townshend) at the time wasn't very happy with it, and I never quite figured why. I'll have to buy the DVD and find out, I guess."

During the concert a clearly upset Townshend tells the somewhat unruly crowd that, "There's a guitar up here if any big mouth f---ing little git wants to take it from me."

The December show was the second to last the Who played with Moon before his death on September 7, 1978. The group played another London show, on May 25 of that year, at Shepperton Studios, also for the "The Kids are Alright." Daltrey has said that Moon was not in good shape for either taping and that seeing the footage while the documentary was being assembled had a profound effect on the drummer.

In addition to the Kilburn show, the new DVD also includes a never-before-seen December 14, 1969, concert from the London Coliseum, which purports to be the first-ever officially recorded live performance of the rock opera "Tommy."

Daltrey and Townshend, meanwhile, are gearing up to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, which will take place December 7 in Washington, D.C. "It really is an honor indeed," Daltrey said. "Coming from where we come from, being totally inspired by American music at such a young age and now being honored by the country that inspired me, it's unbelievable."

Reuters/Billboard

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Brad Pitt producing reporter's fake-fed story

Brad Pitt attends the "Burn After Reading" news conference during the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival September 6, 2008. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Paramount is getting behind the power of the press. The studio has picked up the life rights of Missouri journalist Linda Trest, who helped break open the cover of a drug-busting con man.

Brad Pitt's studio-based production company, Plan B, is developing the project with "Troy" writer David Benioff. Screenwriters Anthony Walton and Andrew Dresher (Universal's "How to Love a Republican") have been brought on board to script a film inspired by her story.

The 51-year-old Trest was a reporter for the Gasconade County Republican in Gerald, Mo., when she began hearing stories about a federal agent nicknamed "Sergeant Bill" who was rousting people from their homes. Since Gerald had been ravaged by methamphetamine abuse, local law enforcement was happy to assist the fed's efforts to clean up the town with arrests, home searches and investigations.

The only hitch: Bill A. Jakob turned out to be just an unemployed cop and former trucking company owner from a different town with no actual law enforcement credentials. Trest eventually exposed Jakob's bizarre con.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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